Rookie DE Harris won’t let football be taken away from him again

Shelby Harris is obviously not your average rookie, having spent what would have been his senior season waiting tables after being kicked off the Illinois State football team.
It’s the defensive end’s turn to eat, and he has showed up to Raiders training camp extremely hungry. The seventh-round pick has quickly made an impression as he looks to lock up a backup pass-rushing role.
“He had something taken away from him, and you can tell he doesn’t want football to be taken away from him again,” defensive coordinator Jason Tarver said. “The other rookies don’t know that feeling, so you can see why it’s different for Shelby.
“He is in the moment and taking advantage of his reps.”
Harris had a sack when he got some first-team reps Friday, when Justin Tuck took the day off with a minor groin injury.
“It’s a blessing to play in the NFL after not playing last year,” Harris said. “I couldn’t ask for anything better. … It was exciting to get first-team reps, but it’s business. I just put my head down and play football.”
Harris was an all-Missouri Valley Conference selection in 2012, with seven sacks and 16 tackles for losses, but was suspended for an unspecified violation of team rules and dismissed from the team by coach Brock Spack.
This after he was suspended and forced to transfer from Wisconsin.
Harris, who won’t go into the “mistakes” that he made, admitted that he lost hope briefly after being kicked off the Illinois State team but that his support system propped him up.
“Your family and friends keep you up, and they don’t let it take you down too far,” Harris said. “Honestly, it’s made me into the person I am today. It’s humbled me down and my head is on straight. …
“I love being on the field and I will do anything to stay on the field. I refuse to let this be taken away from me again.”
The 6-foot-2 Harris has dropped 12 pounds since the start of the offseason program, down to 273. He was at 285 for the draft because he didn’t know if teams wanted to use him as a tackle or an end.
Harris is strictly an pass-rushing end with the Raiders.
“I’ve seen a lot of improvement out of him,” coach Dennis Allen said. “He’s a guy that we thought had some explosion and some pass-rush ability, so he’s quietly begun moving himself up the depth chart.”